Wedding Department Wedding Blog

The other day we received a call from a customer looking for favors on short notice.  We could only scrape together a fraction of what was needed and she was forced to settle for something else.

This is too bad but how could she had known that we did not stock a large number of items, ready to ship out at a moments notice.  As a matter of fact we post a notice that says we have a waiting period and in some cases the wait has been as long as 10 weeks.

One might think that we would for-see these events and make the favors up in advance, stockpiling them for orders and in theory this would be a good practice.  In reality this is not as easy as it seems.

Most of our customers want to have the favors personalized and this takes time as a stamping plate must be produced. Then the favors must be made in advance taking into account the personal preferences of the customer.  Any producers of custom made or made to order items will need time to deliver.

Take for example a company like WeddingVeil.com. They state on the site that orders take from one week to 14 days or more.  I am sure they are not doing this to punish brides.  It just takes time to do these things.  We are not simply hanging around the phone waiting for brides to call. 

Ordering in advance can save money too. For example many companies will offer discount for orders placed in the off season, around December.  It can not hurt to ask the wedding vendor if they offer seasonal discounts.

From talking to brides and planners the number one reason they plan ahead is to eliminate most of the rushing around that occurs in the weeks before the wedding.  This practice makes the most sense of all as when things go wrong they can snowball.

It is not uncommon to have brides ordering a year in advance.  And there is another reason besides the convenience. Many couples want to pay for the wedding as they go, avoiding the large credit card debt that comes from charging everything.  After all 99 percent of all our customers us a credit card, even though we accept checks and money orders. 

So we see that planning ahead can save money, time and frustration.  It just makes sense.  If you have the time to do it your self then why not?

When I was a lad in elementary school I was told that in the future we would have an abundance of leisure time due to the invention of time saving devices.  What they failed to predict was that all of these wonderful inventions would cost so much money that it would take 2 people working full time to pay for them, thus taking up more time than if we did not have them.

Unless you are Amish in which case, what are you doing using the computer?

We are torn to a fro between meetings, activities, work, play and a seemingly endless parade of commitments.  It’s a wonder we have time to breath.

Save the date notices are a relatively new and seldom utilized way to be sure you get your foot in the door before anyone else does. 

Basically save the date cards are sent out far in advance of the wedding, often before the formal wedding invitations.  This way those who seriously intend to come can make plans well in advance.  And they will know who may be getting married on the same day, thus not loosing out on the wedding of a close friend because they replied to an invitation of a distant relative.

Save the dates tend to be a bit less as complicated than an invitation as you are not asking for an RSVP, rather that you are giving the heads up that the invitations will be coming soon.

Some couples choose to send a small token, such as a magnet to stick on the ice box or a small sticker for the computer monitor.  We have had customers buy and send out wind chimes.  But there is no rule.

Save the dates can be bought from the same firm that does the invitations.  Check your yellow pages for quick printers and wedding supplies.

If you want to save some money then make your own. 

Anyone with a basic knowledge of desktop publishing and a laser printer can turn out a very nice card.  Most stationary stores carry a selection of fancy paper and envelopes. Do not use a ink-jet printer because the inks tend to run if they get wet, unless you use a high end printer with photo paper.  But the cost of doing photo quality cards defeats the saving money aspect of printing them your self.

Just the facts, ma’am, just the facts.  Don’t bother with detailed directions and complicated instructions for you’re save the date cards.  Simply give the event, the date and the location and give them an idea of when to expect the formal invitation.  Good Luck!

Many people hold the false impression that if something is not found on the first page of the search results, then it does not exist. It would seem we have become lazy, spoiled or just plain stupid.  How soon we forget.

 Until the late 1990’s anyone looking for wedding favors or accessories or anything else for that matter, would be forced to read a number of bridal magazines, spend hours at the library and countless days seeding out and talking to wedding planners and suppliers.

We now have the luxury of the Internet and in ten short years we have gone from doing thorough logical searching to dashing off a few search terms and throwing up our hands after fifteen minutes in front of the computer.  Of course some of this is the fault of the website owners and the webmasters and copywriters who insist on misleading customers with false claims and poorly constructed websites.

Take for example the term “unique wedding favors”.  If you do a search for this term the results are guaranteed to be anything but unique.  Without fail 8 out of 10 sites who claim to be unique offer basically the same things.  So how can we out wit these witless wonders who are taking a valuable resource and polluting it with meaningless content.

We have already written about the value of image search which is a good way to get a look of what a site offers with out having to wade through content that is not pertinent.  But many other options, that were here before the Internet are still available.  They just take a little more work.

One source is word of mouth and the referrals from friends and family.  Most people love to be helpful and if they are aware you are looking for a special item they will help you run it to ground by spreading the word to still more people.  Some where in the network some one is liable to have attended a wedding where a special gift was given to the guests and that one contact could lead to the answer to the search.

Another good source is the phone book, both on line and the one you keep by the phone.  Look under the appropriate category and several close ones.  Make a few phone calls and you may open even more avenues to explore.  Most party stores either carry a line of favors and accessories or they have a catalog and can order them.

Try to think of the most obscure resources you can, but don’t hesitate to check the most obvious ones like wedding magazines and books.

The other day we had a customer call for an order.  She had been looking high and low for a unique wedding favor with no luck.  Then, while she was looking through a bridal magazine she came across an article about the 300 best wedding websites.  Since our site was listed there she checked our site and called with an order.  The catch is that article was written 7 years ago so the magazine she was reading was published in 2000.  And we have had many other calls from that single magazine.

So we were very pleased when the editors of My Day Magazine decided to feature our fall leaf wind chimes in the current issue.  Hopefully brides who subscribe will keep a copy around so that in 7 years we will get a call from a frustrated bride who looked all over trying to find just the right favor.

 And hopefully some bride in the future will have the initiative to look a little further than the top 3 search results.